itinerary advice please! August at italian lakes + switzerland

Did you already buy plane tickets? You could fly into Milan and out of Zurich, on a mutlicity ticket. Have a great trip!

You already have a discussion going on this in the Italy forum. I see you have adopted the itinerary I suggested, which is flattering. But people might like to see the rest, together with my comments about the reasons for my proposal, before they respond.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/milan-stresa-wengen-itinerary-mid-august#top

Deciding on dividing your time between Italy and Switzerland is a personal thing. It is true that italy is, in general, less expensive. And traveling between the two adds time and expense.

My grandchildren have been to Switzerland before and like the food there, but they LOVED the food in Italy—-they are adventurous eaters and especially liked the weird crustaceans they could get in Venice. But if your daughter is more conservative and favors pizza and pasta, those are just as good in Switzerland,

If you choose more time in Italy, where would it be? Lakes, mountains, or cities like Venice and Milan? You are already concerned about heat in Milan, and that will be true of most anywhere in northern Italy in August. Lago di Garda might be a good choice.

If you wish to shorten your time in Switzerland, I suggest you try Bettmeralp in the Valais, a much shorter trip from Stresa than Wengen is . This is a car-free village perched high above a valley, similar to Wengen, with views into the Italian Alps as well as the distant Matterhorn. There is lift-assisted hiking there with amazing views, a lake for swimming, and a ropes park with a zip line.

https://www.valais.ch/en/activities/excursions/adventure-parks/baschweri-bettmeralp

This would be a 2 hour 12 minute journey from Stresa by train and cablecar, with 3 changes, instead of the 3.5 to 4-hour train ride with 4 or 5 changes you need to reach Wengen.

Just some things to consider.

Hi, you’re going to some gorgeous area! I agree with Pat that you will want a multi-city flight to reduce your transportation time. (Search on the airline website for multi-city, not a round-trip or two 1-way tickets.)

We went to Stresa & Wengen in reverse, flying into Zurich from Seattle, and taking trains to reach Wengen our first day there. It’s great you will be there several days!

I’ve been to Stresa three times. Besides the special islands just off of Stresa, I also like the Villa Taranto gardens - just take the ferry up to them. And Santa Caterina del Sasso - another one that’s easy to reach by ferry. With your extra time there, you might enjoy Rocca di Angera or to take a bus over to Lake Orta, also.

Wow! Thanks everyone so much for the advice! So helpful!

I found Stresa a little too laid back. I would take one night from there and add it to Wengen. Make time while in Wengen to go to First in Grindelwald if your daughter likes ziplines. She might enjoy the mountain scooters and trotti bikes for downhill thrills, too. It is possible - and advisable - to pre-reserve time on the zip line.

One of my favorite Italian restaurants is in Wengen, Maya Caprice. Another good one is in nearby Wilderswil, Luna Piccante. It’s fun to take the train to-and-from dinner. Can’t do that at home!

Here is a link to the various activities at the First gondola in Grindelwald.

https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/grindelwaldfirst/

There are two zip line-type rides. On the First Flyer you are seated, while on the First Glider you lie prone and “fly like an eagle”. Both of them will leave the riders quite a distance from where they started, so you will either need to do them together, or have a good plan for meeting up afterwards.

While one can buy tickets for the activities in advance to avoid the ticket queue, they are by date, not time, and I do not see a way to make an actual reservation for a specific time. They recommend arriving as early as possible, and even then the activity might be full, in which case you can choose a different activity. When my family did the Trotti-bikes, they signed up at the desk at Bort and got a time 2 hours later. Perfect for having lunch at the restaurant there.